Monthly Archives: June 2026

The Elder’s Prayer

02 Tuesday Jun 2026

Posted by in Psalm 64, Psalm 71, Psalms

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Reading: Psalm 71:9-18 (NIV)*

Do not cast me away when I am old;
    do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
For my enemies speak against me;
    those who wait to kill me conspire together.
They say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”
Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
May my accusers perish in shame;
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.
As for me, I will always have hope;
    I will praise you more and more
My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

Reflection

I am now officially a senior, and I am inching my way forward in my eighth decade. I am seventy-one. How did that happen? With each passing year, I can more fully identify with the psalmist’s prayer. For those of us in our sixth decade and beyond, great wisdom can be found in this psalm. As physical vitality declines, more and more we come to rely on the strength of God.

The psalmist laments, “For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together” (v. 10).

Our enemies don’t all strut about on two legs. Some of them creep into our lives in more subtle forms like discouragement, depression, dementia, and disease. These are the more common enemies that conspire against us. When they gain the upper hand, our golden years lose their luster. Against this backdrop the psalmist is defiant. He takes his stand. As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more… (v. 14).

Having come this far by the grace of God, this is not the time to retreat… till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come (v. 18).

Response

 LORD God, thank you for your presence with me since my youth. Continue to fill my life with joy, meaning and purpose. Day by day, be my help and strength until I see you face to face. Amen.

Your Turn

Do you look forward to your golden years? How can you fill your years with meaning and purpose?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

01 Monday Jun 2026

Posted by in Psalm 71, Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 71:1-8 (NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
thank you for being my solid rock.
Your faithfulness has steadied me
in stormy times.
You have been my help and strength,
my shelter and fortress.
Amen.

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

When Jesus heard what had happened,
he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.
Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd,
he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said,
“This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late.
Send the crowds away,
so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied,
“They do not need to go away.
You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,”
they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said.
And he directed the people to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he gave thanks and broke the loaves.
Then he gave them to the disciples,
and the disciples gave them to the people.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls
of broken pieces that were left over.
The number of those who ate was about five thousand men,
besides women and children.
(Matthew 14:13-21).

* * *

Dear friends,
 if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence before God
and receive from him anything we ask, 
because we keep his commands 
and do what pleases him.
(1 John 3:21-22 NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

Rock of refuge in a changing world

01 Monday Jun 2026

Posted by in Psalms, Psalm 71, Psalm 64

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Reading: Psalm 71:1-8 (NIV)*

In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
    my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
    I will ever praise you.
I have become a sign to many;
    you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor all day long.

Reflection

I must confess I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with rocks. I grew up on a farm on the Canadian prairies and annually the rich soil produced two crops—a crop of grain and a crop of rocks. Grain crops such as wheat, barley and oats were welcomed—the rocks not so much.

Simply working the soil in spring would bring the rocks to the surface. It was our job as children to help our dad to pick those rocks and haul them off the fields. For the most part it was tedious work. That’s the unpleasant part of my relationship with rocks. But as for the rocks themselves, for the most part I liked them. They came in a huge variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and textures. I found them fascinating.

For the psalmist, the LORD was his solid foundation—his rock of refuge in a changing world. Hear his prayer: Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

In the shifting circumstances of life, it is essential that we have those things that remain solid and unwavering. From our childhood onward we need a rock of refuge from the storms of life—a rock to which we can always go in good times and bad.

It’s wonderful when we can say with the psalmist, “From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you” (v. 6).

Response

LORD God, thank you for being my solid rock. Your faithfulness has steadied me in stormy times. You have been my help and strength, my shelter and fortress. Amen.

Your Turn

How has the Lord been a solid rock for you? In what ways has God been your fortress?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.